Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Jim Balsillie, the co-CEO of Research In Motion, maker of the popular Blackberry may have become National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman's worst nightmare once again by offering to pay $212.5 million for the Phoenix Coyotes as long as he can move the team to Southern Ontario.

Balsillie who has previously offered to buy the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins and move them to Canada, has also likely got the owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings on the phones to their lawyers advising them to prepare to do all they can to block such a move. Better to let the Coyotes die of thirst on the desert than have another viable NHL franchise in Canada.

Bettman, the American who runs the NHL, has never supported another franchise in Canada, as he tries to turn hockey into an American game in the most unlikely of places -- for example, Phoenix, Arizona. At one time Bettman is quoted as saying he would "fix" the Coyotes, who apparently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under U.S. law on May 5.

Here's one for you and it might give Bettman pause to consider the popularity of NHL hockey in the United States. President Barack Obama, basketball player extraordinaire, admitted that he had never watched an NHL game -- and he lived in the NHL cities of Chicago and Boston, where he attended Harvard University.

FMCC NEWS

Michael J Morris (photo by Michael Pelzer)

Michael J Morris

Michael is a writer, editor, motivational speaker, storyteller, teacher - and now a blogger. He is available for interesting assignments. Email Michael at mj.morris@live.ca

He has spent more than 50 years doing and teaching journalism and effective communications, taking early retirement after he established a new media communications grad program at College of the Rockies. Michael also taught at Chapleau High School.

His latest project is the just completed "The Chapleau Boys Go to War" written with his cousin Michael K McMullen. SHOP NOW at Amazon.com for your copy

Since he retired Michael has conducted workshops with a focus on social media applications.

Michael has written for several Canadian daily newspapers, including The Star-Phoenix(Saskatoon), Kingston Whig-Standard, The Daily Press (Timmins), Toronto Star, Chatham Daily News and Brampton Times as well as serving as editor of "Insider" while at COTR. He is the author of 'Sons of Thunder - Apostles of Love' a history of St, John's Anglican Church, Chapleau.

Among his ongoing projects Michael writes a weekly column for the Chapleau Express, on the life and times of Chapleau, Ontario, where he was raised.